Osteogenic bone repair materials are known in the art. These materials contain an osteogenic material, such as demineralized bone powder in a carrier, such as glycerol. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,558, issued Mar. 1, 1994 to O'Leary et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,655, issued Feb. 8, 1994 to Bogdansky et al.
The carrier of the bone material in the art is a liquid, having a viscosity generally somewhere between runny to paste-like. "Runny" bone repair compositions have the advantage of being relatively easy to apply to and fill a bone defect, however, they are disadvantageous in that the material also tends to readily flow from the defect site. Conversely, bone repair compositions with a "paste-like" consistency are harder to apply to a defect, yet tend to remain positioned at the defect once applied. Additionally, when any of the bone repair compositions in the art are placed in vivo and become warmed, they become even less viscous; the decrease in viscosity is due to the addition of thermal energy to the composition.
Accordingly, there is a need for a bone repair composition that is easy to apply to a defect site, and which remains positioned at the site once placed at the site.